African American History Ce flashcards

Middle Passage

The horrific journey enslaved Africans took across the Atlantic Ocean (primarily from the 16th to the 19th century). This voyage was marked by inhumane conditions, including overcrowding, malnutrition, and disease, leading to high mortality rates. Captives were subjected to physical and sexual abuse, and the trauma of this journey had lasting impacts on individuals and communities.

13th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States, except as punishment for a crime. Ratified in 1865, it legally ended the institution of slavery that had existed for centuries, paving the way for further civil rights advancements.

Freedmen’s Bureau

A U.S. federal government agency established in 1865 to aid formerly enslaved people in the aftermath of the Civil War. It provided assistance with education, employment, healthcare, and legal issues, aiming to support the transition to freedom and address the challenges of racial inequality.

Jim Crow Laws

State and local laws enacted in the Southern United States from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries. These laws enforced racial segregation, denying African Americans equal access to public facilities, education, employment, and other opportunities. They were a tool of oppression and maintained white supremacy.

Middle Passage

The horrific journey enslaved Africans took across the Atlantic Ocean (primarily from the 16th to the 19th century). This voyage was marked by inhumane conditions, including overcrowding, malnutrition, and disease, leading to high mortality rates. Captives were subjected to physical and sexual abuse, and the trauma of this journey had lasting impacts on individuals and communities.

Plessy v. Ferguson

A landmark 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws under the doctrine of “separate but equal.” This decision allowed segregation to persist legally for decades, reinforcing racial discrimination in various aspects of life, including education, transportation, and public accommodations.

Brown v. Board of Education

A groundbreaking 1954 Supreme Court case that declared state-sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional. This decision overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson, paving the way for school desegregation and marking a major victory for the civil rights movement.

Great Migration

The mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North, Midwest, and West between 1916 and 1970, driven by factors such as racial discrimination, limited economic opportunities, and violence in the South, as well as the promise of jobs and better living conditions in other parts of the country.

Martin Luther King

Civil rights leader who advocated for nonviolent resistance.

Malcolm X

Civil rights leader who promoted Black empowerment and initially supported Black separatism.

Ghana, Mali, Songhai

Powerful West African kingdoms known for wealth, trade, and centers of learning like Timbuktu.

Nat Turner

Leader of a violent slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831.

Underground Railroad

A secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom.

14th Amendment

Granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born in the U.S.

15th Amendment

Prohibited the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on race.

Black Codes

Laws passed after the Civil War to restrict the rights of formerly enslaved people.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

A civil rights protest where African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Prohibited racial discrimination in voting.

Rosa Parks

Civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her seat sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Frederick Douglass

Former slave who became a leading abolitionist, writer, and speaker.

Sojourner Truth

Abolitionist and women's rights activist who was born into slavery.

W.E.B. Du Bois

Co-founder of the NAACP and advocate for civil rights and higher education for Black Americans.

Ida B. Wells

Journalist and activist who led an anti-lynching campaign.

Black Lives Matter

Modern movement addressing systemic racism and police violence.

Mass Incarceration

The large-scale imprisonment of African Americans, often linked to systemic racial biases